It will be fine. I wouldn’t leave them in overnight. But you may be surprised how quickly he eats them up if they are loose in the cage. My one female prefers this method and she can eat about 6 of them in less than 10 minutes. Maybe just release 1 or 2 and see what happens.
I tried what Mr.Jones said and he actually ate crickets and a couple discoid roaches from my tongs that i have. He’s still biting the tree branches though ? he did that immediately after i fed him
is the plant that he bit real?
Yes it’s a hibiscus tree, he’s just biting the wood
I put some crickets on a tree branch in front of him and they all just fall to the bottom ?
good lol bc if it was a plastic one we'd have some problems
Haha i’ve done all my research!
Lol the climb up crickets love the light.
Ohhhh gotcha and the heat i bet. i have a feeder cup but he won’t eat from it ?
Where've I heard something similar to that before...? Oh, yeah.
Will do, what kind of worries me is he won’t eat from the feeder cup i got for him. I’m off to work this morning so i’ll see if he eats the crickets and roaches while i’m not here. i did get him to eat some roaches and crickets off my tongs yesterday so that’s progress. i have a mister that goes off every 3 hours for a minute as well.Where've I heard something similar to that before...? Oh, yeah.
Animals can most certainly get stressed; there are any number of articles & studies that prove this.
stress in animals
Unfortunate as it may be, it's incumbent upon you to educate them. It's your chameleon, and you're responsible for it in every way. If they don't agree or like it, well... I can't tell you what to do, but I think you know or can figure it out. You know your family better than anyone here.
My observations or suggestions:
1. All chameleons (or reptiles or animals) are different and individuals, so what applies to one male panther may not necessarily apply to another. We have to learn to read or charges, which takes some studying (i.e. watching) but not to the point of freaking them out.
2. Learn all the indicators & signs of stress for your species, and eventually, for your individual. This is usually communicated by color or color changes, but there may be other body language or behavioral indicators as well. This can include (but not limited to) changes in eating, drinking, basking, pooping, etc. A journal can help.
3. A piece of advice I've oft heard... "Pretend you don't see them"—at least until they've learned you don't intend them harm, won't eat them, etc., which (I agree) has to be on their terms—not yours. They'll be watching (for) your eyes (and anyone else's).
4. Personally, I'd introduce strangers or family members one at a time—not en masse. Each time, try to get a read on the cham's feelings/reactions. They can feel differently about different individuals just as we (or other animals—a cat or dog) can. Take it slow.
be careful with the tongs; if your gripping the bug tight with the tongs and he shoots it could hurt his tounge which is why i don't use them IMO
See observation #1. When my beardie was little, he used to dive head-first and face-plant into his bowl of roaches (and/or supers) from a foot & a half above. Now—as a sub-adult—he won't eat if I'm in the same room. Go figure. Sometimes he'll eat from my hand or tongs, and sometimes he'll give me the eye like, "OK, so you've got a bug. Whaddaya expect me to do about it? Get it outta my face!"
Thank you so much! ? i told my family to leave him alone and let him do his thing. I’ll post an update when i get home from work around 7 to see if he ate or not. He has been drinking a lot though. I saw him this morning as soon as the mister went offSee observation #1. When my beardie was little, he used to dive head-first and face-plant into his bowl of roaches (and/or supers) from a foot & a half above. Now—as a sub-adult—he won't eat if I'm in the same room. Go figure. Sometimes he'll eat from my hand or tongs, and sometimes he'll give me the eye like, "OK, so you've got a bug. Whaddaya expect me to do about it? Get it outta my face!"
You may have to try some different things. Try not to let short-term disappointments discourage you. This (and other things with reptiles) is a process, and sometimes (later) the process may change.
Hang in there!
That's actually a good sign. We all die of dehydration much faster than we do of starvation.
He drinks everyday which is good
Update: I don’t think he ate crickets from the feeder cup but he did eat once from the tongs and that’s it. He didn’t take a shot at anymore. So maybe he did eat some from the feeder cup
I would avoid using tongs... If they hit the tong rather then the feeder and you pull back or anything goes wrong they can permanently damage their tongue to the point of even needing it amputated.
